


As Long As You’re Happy (I Will Be Alright)

by RedheadedSuperhero



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alternate Universe, Firefighter Dean Winchester, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Misunderstandings, Omega Castiel, Scenting, True Mates, no (explicit) smut, tax accountant castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 10:09:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15386472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedSuperhero/pseuds/RedheadedSuperhero
Summary: Castiel had always hoped he would be one of those lucky few who found their True Mate, so he was more than happy when he finally stumbled over that most wonderful scent. The problem was --- it did not come from his Mate but his Mate’s husband. Or was it?Or: The one where Castiel thinks Dean and Sam are married and he would not possibly want to come between the happy couple. No matter how much it might break his heart.It’s cheesy, it’s predictable, and also quite a bit silly. xD





	As Long As You’re Happy (I Will Be Alright)

**Author's Note:**

> This idea tickled my mind a few weeks ago and wouldn’t stop until I gave up and wrote it down. It’s not the tiniest bit original, and I don’t have anything to add to the trope – but here we go. ;-)

**As Long As You’re Happy (I Will Be Alright)**

 

 

Mate.

Finally.

His True Mate.

For the best part of forty years Castiel had dreamed about this moment, feared it nearly as much as he had been looking forward to it. During his childhood and early adolescence, he had painted a fairly naïve picture in his mind, assuming he would have a perfect life if only he met the Alpha to his Omega. No sorrows, just utter bliss. Always. When he grew up, he had slowly realised (after hearing or reading about some of those lucky couples) that even with a True Mate, a relationship was hard work; at least occasionally. And he had started to feel a bit anxious at the thought that even if he met his perfect counterpart, happiness would not always come easy. Not to mention that his older brothers, who usually were rather protective of him, had liked to tease him that maybe, just maybe --- his alpha would be great big bag of dicks. (Gabriel’s words.)

But despite occasional worries, Castiel never completely lost his optimism: Yes, you probably had about the same troubles with your True Mate as any other (mostly happy) couple had, but it would still be with your perfect partner! No matter how much you might argue about vacation destinations, or dirty laundry on the floor, or whose turn it was to pick up the children from their violin classes – at the end of the day, you would still love each other.

And wasn’t that what everyone was longing for? Someone who loved you unconditionally – knowing, no matter how much you might bicker and fight on occasion, eventually you would kiss and make up again.

And even if his older brothers had tried to scare him as a child, Castiel was convinced his Mate would not be one of those brutish and self-absorbed alphas – because one of those could never be perfect for Castiel, could they?

His alpha would be a good man. He simply had to be.

(At least he supposed it would be a _man_ since Castiel had not once in his life been sexually attracted to a female, no matter which subgender.)

But over time, even though he never lost all of his romantic ideas (at least not while he was lying awake at night), Castiel had started to accept that he belonged to the clear majority of all omegas.

Those who never found their perfect match.

And to be reasonable (which Castiel usually was): What were the chances of running into your alpha in a pool of seven billion people!

And even when he had been young and full of romantic dreams, Castiel had certainly not expected he would meet his mate at the age of forty, in an overcrowded vegan coffee shop, on a Wednesday afternoon in July.

It was just an ordinary day, no sign that his life would be turned upside down in a minute – it rained outside, not much, but enough to have everyone look for places indoors instead of taking a coffee outside and sit in the park or take a swim. Castiel had finished work early – like every Wednesday since he had moved to the city of Lemhar only two months ago – and wanted to sit in his new favourite coffee house. He wouldn’t have needed it to be vegan (he´d only fully realised that on his third visit) – but the coffee was good, the location nice and with the constant buzz of the other patrons around, Castiel felt like he was _out_ instead of spending all his time with numbers at work or dusty books at home. Usually, he looked for a place at the window where he would end up watching the people outside rather than reading whichever book he’d always bring with him. (He usually only opened it to look busy and not like a lone weirdo.)

That day in July, he had just gotten his cup of Latte Macchiato at the bar, with three spoons of sugar, when suddenly in all that jumble of coffee, and rain, and sweat, and perfume --- a different, unexpected scent hit his nose.

It was the most divine scent he had ever smelled: pine and snow and sun and grass.

All at once.

Castiel felt dizzy, and after a moment, he slowly realised what was happening. As his mind was still trying to catch up, he involuntarily ran his hands through his hair and straightened his blue tie that always looked a bit tousled. He took another deep breath and almost moaned as the wonderful scent hit him again.

And then he stood stock still for three whole minutes, right there in the middle of the room, too nervous to do anything else. And suddenly hundreds of questions ghosted through his head, all of them old and familiar, but suddenly so much more urgent than ever before.

What would his Mate be like? Was he patient and loving? Or did he have a vicious temper?

How would he react to Castiel?

Would he be disappointed with him as his Omega?

Would he claim him right here – or would he wait until they came to know each other a bit?

Someone bumped into Castiel, and he halfway bared his throat already, dreading for a second his alpha might in fact just mark him in a room full of people. As much as Castiel might have always wanted to find his Mate, he had never been enthusiastic about the idea that someone would claim him before even talking to him. He had hoped his alpha would see him as an equal, not something to own, something to simply mark as theirs.

At those thoughts, for the briefest moment, Castiel even contemplated running. But that might just make it worse – and his alpha would surely take up the chase and catch him eventually. And Castiel did not want to meet his Mate for the first time when the alpha was agitated from the hunt. That sounded like the direct route to be claimed on the spot.

And even more important than the fear of being chased by some stranger: That smell was just too enticing to leave.

What if his Mate would be truly perfect for him?

Somewhat confused that no one had approached him by now, Castiel tried to concentrate where the smell was coming from, and he slowly turned around until his eyes landed on a tall man with long-ish hair, quite a few years younger than Castiel, sitting by the window. For a second, Castiel was almost --- disappointed. There was nothing wrong with the alpha, but Castiel had somehow always expected he would be instantly attracted to his Mate. In a very physical way. Sure, the man was handsome, handsomer than he had expected his Mate to be, but Castiel felt no--- spark.

But despite his size, the man looked kind. Warm. He also had a book in hands, which calmed Castiel further. Maybe his Mate would really not be one of the super-butch possessive variety. Deep down, Castiel knew it was ridiculous to form any conclusions just from the fact that the man was reading a book. He couldn’t even see the cover. Maybe it was a guidebook on _How to be a successful Serial Killer._

Slowly, Castiel walked towards the man, bumping a few shoulders on the way since it was hard to focus on anyone else.

What would his alpha think of him?

On his way, Castiel desperately wished he had something interesting going for him – but he was a tax accountant for goodness sake! It was almost universally agreed this was the most boring job one could have. (No matter how much Castiel liked it.) And he didn’t look too special either. He himself thought his eyes were quite nice – but he didn’t even remotely resemble those pretty omegas you see on TV. And his voice. Would suit an alpha better than an omega. Castiel suddenly felt like he waded through water, it was so hard to move forwards. What if his alpha wasn’t pleased with him? What if he tried to reject him.

When he was only two steps away, Castiel started frowning and nearly stumbled over his own feet. The man in front of him had still not looked up from his book. But he should have smelled his omega by now. He should even have smelled him the moment Castiel had stepped through the door, as alphas were supposed to have a very keen nose.

Was his alpha somehow sick?

Or was this a one-sided bond?

Castiel had never heard about a True Mate who did not return the feeling, but he felt suddenly very certain that _if_ it would ever happen to anyone, it might very well be him.

At last, Castiel was standing right in front of the man – and then he let out an abrupt sound that might have been anything from a cough to a yelp.

His alpha was a beta.

But his True Mate could not possibly be a beta – these special bonds only happened between alphas and omegas!

The dark-haired man finally looked up from his book and seemed surprised to see Castiel in front of his table. But he smiled at him.

“Yes?”

Castiel drew in another breath and noticed two distinct scents coming from the man – his own beta scent, light and clean, and the wonderful alpha smell. Only now did he realise that the scent of his True Mate was quite faint – anyone else would probably not even have been able to pick up on it.

“Can I help you?” The man still smiled at Castiel, but there was also a frown forming on his face.

Castiel suddenly realised how stupid he must look, standing there with a cup of coffee in his hand, breathing deeply through his nose, eyes wide in shock. He quickly looked around, anxious to find an excuse.

“Oh, sorry, it’s pretty cramped. I didn’t notice.” The man took his jacket from the chair opposite him. “Here, sit down.”

Not knowing what else to do, Castiel took the offered seat.

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

The man-who-was-not-his-mate smiled again.

For five minutes, Castiel sat there and thought about what he should do. He looked out the window and noticed a black beast of a car that was parked right in front of the shop. It was shiny, not a spot on it. Must belong to one of those men who practically worshipped their cars. But Castiel had to admit it was beautiful. As much as could be said about a car.

Gods, why was he thinking about cars right now?

And what kind of car might his alpha drive?

Castiel’s head was spinning and the omega was fairly certain some synapses had just burn through in his brain. That would explain why he was not able to follow a simple train of thought. He tried again to make sense of his unfortunate situation. The tall man opposite him was not his True Mate, but he must know him. Know him well. If he were just an acquaintance, he would not smell so strongly of him as personal scents did not easily stick to betas. Maybe he was a family member, or a close friend. Or a husband.

Castiel gripped his mug so hard his knuckles turned white. Few alphas waited until they met their True Mate – which was just understandable since otherwise most people would stay alone until they died. Castiel might have married some nice beta or a gentle alpha already had he just ever met someone he had wanted to share his life with.

And if someone would meet their True Mate after all, the old partner could be easily divorced, often without a moment’s hesitation. That had happened to Castiel’s older brother Gabriel, who had been left by his wife Kali virtually overnight. And Gabriel had been devastated.

Castiel panicked. He didn’t want to come between a happy couple. He studied the man opposite him under his eyelashes. He seemed nice. Castiel didn’t want to hurt someone nice. But he also noticed, feeling a bit guilty for looking, that the man wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

Since he did not know what else to do, and he certainly was not ready to leave yet, he pulled out the book from his bag and was about to pretend reading until he figured out his next move.

“Hey, you also like Roerson?”

The giant held out his own book, a different one, but by the same author.

Castiel smiled shyly, and the man reached over the table: “I’m Sam, by the way. Sam Winchester. It’s not often you see someone reading Roerson.”

Castiel accepted the offered hand and said: “I’m Castiel. Hello. And I don’t think Swedish Naturalism is for everyone.”

The two men started talking – and Castiel felt like he had fallen into some parallel universe that simply existed to mock him. He instantly liked Sam, even though he picked up only half of what the man said at the beginning. Castiel was so overwhelmed with his feelings that he had problems concentrating. But he understood that Sam was a lawyer and he lived with someone named Dean. Castiel assumed he was probably the beta´s partner (husband?) as Sam complained with a laugh that this Dean would always make fun of his reading choices. Which could not be worse than Dean’s music taste, he added. Castiel noticed the amused glint in Sam’s eyes as he talked about his partner and he could easily picture the banter of a long-together couple.

While he was listening to Sam, adding a short comment here and there, Castiel tried to ignore his inner omega which was constantly whining at him to go and find his alpha. Instead of listening to his instincts, he managed to share some superficial information about himself as well – about how he had just moved here some weeks ago and how he liked his boring desk job.

“I know this is a bit sudden, but… tomorrow they show a Roerson play in the Globe and I have two tickets. I wanted to bring a colleague, but she bailed on me. And I don’t know anyone else who’d want to go.” He scoffed. “Dean surely wouldn’t. So… if you would like to come with me?”

Castiel looked around, almost in panic. What was happening here? He almost expected to be filmed by hidden cameras. Maybe the scent of his True Mate was somehow chemically engineered, and someone wanted to pull a prank him. Probably Gabriel. But it seemed like an unusual cruel joke.

Sam must have noticed his frantic looks for he quickly explained, misunderstanding Castiel´s awkwardness: “No, no, no. Not like a date. I mean… you’re a great guy, but male omegas are not… I mean… just, you know, for fun. As friends with weird tastes, or something.”

Still helplessly confused, Castiel agreed, and the two men exchanged phone numbers.

The omega felt slightly guilty, because as much as he would have wanted to see the play with Sam under normal circumstances, he knew he had agreed to meet with the beta the next day mostly because he could not bear to lose the only lead to his Mate.

He followed Sam outside and was surprised when the tall man stopped beside the big muscle car. It didn’t look like something that the lawyer – the very same one Castiel had just met in a vegan coffee shop – would drive, and, obviously, his surprise showed on his face. Sam laughed and rubbed a hand over his neck, looking almost embarrassed.

 “That’s not actually my car; it’s Dean’s. And now I need to hurry to pick up his burgers for dinner – he only allowed me to borrow it if I get him some food. And don’t forget the pie again.”

Sam chuckled, and there was true fondness in his expression as he talked about the man who demanded his partner brings him dinner. Then Sam opened the door of the car – and Castiel wanted to hide under his bed (or rather in this very car) for all eternity as a wave of that sublime scent hit his nose.

Dean, that lovely man’s boyfriend, was Castiel’s True Mate.

Sometimes, life just sucked.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel got hardly any work done on Thursday. He picked up his phone every other minute, texting Sam that he, sadly, couldn’t make it tonight – and then deleted the message before his thump hit _send_.

Why did the beta have to be so nice?

Castiel had moved to Lemhar two months ago, and the only person he had met so far whom he shared a private conversation with – one he instantly felt he would like to call his friend one day – had to be his Mate’s partner.

And Castiel did not know what to do.

Up until yesterday, Castiel had been content. Yes, he did not have a partner, but he didn’t feel lonely, or incomplete. He was quite happy on his own, even though sometimes he might have liked to share stories about his day with someone – but he was not one of those people who needed a relationship for relationship´s sake. He was just as valuable on his own.

But now, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to meet his Mate and wake up to his wonderful scent every morning for the rest of his life. Without hurting anyone´s (namely Sam´s) feelings beforehand.

Logic told him he had two options: Either tell Sam everything and go find his Mate, or leave the happy couple in peace.

But Castiel could not bring himself to do either, so he picked the third, obviously _un_ healthy, option: He went to the theatre with Sam and had a lovely night out. After the play, the two men had a quick snack in a sandwich bar and even decided on a new date for a visit in a museum.

As it turned out, Sam had not lived in Lemhar too long himself, and he was still looking for someone he could share his hobbies with – since Dean, who was a fireman by the way, would usually prefer to work on his beloved car, take a road trip or play pool with some friends.

Over the next few weeks, Castiel saw Sam regularly and was constantly drawn between guilt and the joy over their blooming friendship. He did not even meet Sam just to have some kind of connection with his Mate anymore, at least not completely. But he still could not stop himself from taking a deep breath and enjoying the alpha smell second-hand whenever they met. But that was as far as he would let himself go. Whenever Sam started to talk about Dean, Castiel tried to change the subject as quickly as possible without being impolite. He really did not want to know too much about the man. It was already hard enough to smell him on Sam. He did not need to know how brave he was when he rushed into a burning house (quite regularly, since, you know, that was somehow part of his job), or how he trained an all-boys soccer team on the weekend, or about that one day he would probably die from too much bacon. According to Sam. But there were also things that made Castiel frown – like when Dean had exchanged Sam’s shampoo with toothpaste; it seemed an odd prank to pull on one’s partner. And Dean seemed to have a certain tendency to try and tell Sam what was best for him – not an unusual trait on alphas. But the beta obviously was not too concerned with Dean´s behaviour and could hold his own in their relationship.

Sometimes, Castiel might have tried to detect any indication that their relationship was not as great as it seemed – but unfortunately, Sam always made it sound like Dean, despite his flaws, was simply the best guy you could imagine.

And Castiel was so conflicted. Sometimes his inner omega howled out in pain, sometimes he wanted to strangle Sam in a sudden fit of jealousy, sometimes he was even happy that his True Mate had such a loving boyfriend – because it was hard to ignore how much Dean meant to the giant in front of Castiel.

He really had to work to look only mildly interested when Sam mentioned how Dean had helped paying his tuition for college by taking on three jobs at a time. How long had they been together? This seemed a romantic case of first-and-lifelong-love. Castiel suddenly felt sick just sitting here with Sam, an obvious danger to the man´s happiness. And Sam didn’t even know it! But Dean would probably just break up with him as soon as he found out about Castiel. That’s what usually happened. (And Castiel’s inner omega might have yipped happily at the thought.) He should not only stay away from the poor beta, he should probably move to a different country altogether.

As much as Sam liked to gush about his partner or discuss countless books with Castiel, sometimes he surprised the omega with sudden questions that seemed oddly intimate for their slowly blooming friendship. Like that time when Sam suddenly asked:

“So, do you want kids, Castiel?”

Castiel blushed: “Well, I´d never been averse to the idea, but it´s not like I consider my life a failure without them. But I guess I am a bit too old to have my own now anyway…”

“Oh nonsense! Forty isn´t too old these days.” Sam waved it off with a wide smile.

“Says a younker such as you,” Castiel teased in his best old-man-impression.

“Oh, don’t you start that as well,” Sam groaned. “I get that I-am-older-and-thus-wiser speech often enough from Dean. And he is only four years ahead of me!”

Four years. Castiel knew Sam was thirty, which made Dean about thirty-four. Another surprise. Whenever Castiel had dreamed about his Mate, he had imaged someone older and cautious, maybe even a bit snobbish. Someone who worked in an office, who liked opera and was all and all quite reserved. Dean sounded nothing like those things. But, strangely, every detail Castiel heard about this firefighter, who liked to sing off-keys in his car and seemed to have a way with kids, warmed his heart.

But as much as Sam was interested in personal details of Castiel´s life, he was also open about his own past. He told Castiel how his mother had died in a horrific fire when he was still a toddler – some part of Castiel assumed it might be more than coincidence that Sam had lost his heart to a firefighter – and how his father had then buried himself in work. John Winchester had seldom been at home, and it became the responsibility of Sam´s older brother to care for them both. But before Castiel could find out more about that dependable sibling, Sam somehow started to talk about Dean again.

“You know, maybe I should introduce you to Dean sometime,” Sam said suddenly, with a bright smile.

Castiel paled – and nearly chocked on his lettuce. It took a while before he was able to blurt out: “Oh no! I mean… I don’t think that’s a good idea. I … ahem…”

Now, what was the right excuse for not wanting to meet your new friend’s partner? Castiel had no idea.

“Oh,” Sam looked disappointed at Castiel’s more than obvious reluctance. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… So, you don’t like alphas much, I guess?”

It was a legitimate question. Times had certainly evolved since alphas were considered the superior race, who had dominated the world, while omegas were considered weak and docile. But even nowadays some omegas were reluctant (i.e. scared) to even converse with alphas – mostly because there were still quite a few who thought omegas should always submit to their wishes (or advances), just because they were physically stronger. But Castiel did not usually have a problem with alphas – he grew up with three alpha brothers as well as parents who never made any difference between their children. His brothers had diverse tempers: Michael was strict but fair, Gabriel always joked around but had a kindness to him he seldom showed to the outside world, and Raphael – well, Raphael was more on that brutish my-way-or-the-highway-note. Growing up, Castiel had learned to hold his own. As much as he had learned that there were good alphas and bad alphas. Just like with any other kind of people.

“Castiel?” Sam asked, and the omega remembered he had been quiet for too long. “Are you… has someone hurt you?”

Castiel only shook his head no, feeling guilty again, especially with the worried look on Sam’s face.

The tall man reached across the table and tried to take his hand in a comforting gesture. Castiel quickly pulled his own back before their fingers touched. For weeks now, he had been very careful to never touch Sam after that first handshake. He assumed the beta had washed his hands before he saw his boyfriend back then, or maybe he was just paranoid and one simple handshake would not leave his scent strong enough on Sam for anyone to notice. Not even his Alpha Mate. But nevertheless, Castiel had become more cautious since then. He felt bad every time he stepped back when Sam had wanted to hug him goodbye, but the beta soon accepted that Castiel did not like to be touched.

But now, by the way his brows furrowed, Castiel assumed Sam thought he didn’t like the contact because he had been assaulted in the past. And of course, the way Sam seemed to worry over him only made the weight on Castiel´s conscience that much heavier.

 

>><< 

 

It happened after the visit of a classical concert.

Castiel, as always, came with the subway and the two friends met directly at the Hall – there had been quite a walk from the station to their meeting point, but Castiel didn’t mind. Unfortunately however, just after the concert was finished, rain was pouring down the streets as if it was trying to imitate every movie about the Apocalypse.

“Come on, Castiel, I’ll drive you home. My car is just an elevator ride away,” Sam said with a smirk at the pouring rain outside.

Castiel hesitated. Until now, they had always met in town, and Castiel had always refused Sam´s offer to pick him up or drive him back home. They didn’t even know where the other one lived – Castiel had made sure of that. He himself did not want to know where his Mate lived. There was no way he could keep away then. Castiel already had to pull himself together every other day so he would not fake an emergency at work and call the fire department. He would be jobless already if his superiors knew how often he had contemplated about forgetting a dishcloth on the stove in the office kitchen – and wait for the Fire Brigade to come and save them all. But he had always managed to talk himself out of it – how likely was it that Dean, of all the firefighters in Lemhar, would come to the rescue!

So now, even though it was a polite offer, Castiel still hesitated. For some reason he did not even want Sam to know where _he_ lived, and until now he had been successful in keeping that information secret. But he could not think of a reason to turn the offer down without sounding like a crazy person – not to mention that his clothes would be soaked after two seconds outside – so he mumbled: “Thank you. But to the next subway station will be enough. I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“Gods, Castiel, you’re not bothering me. We’re friends. And Lemhar is not that big that it would take me hours to get you home.”

“Nonetheless. The Richway Station will be quite enough.”

Sam just rolled his eyes with a soft smile. One of the things Castiel liked so much about the beta was that he seldom tried to push him. Whenever Castiel said or did something that might be considered weird – like his strong aversion to meeting Dean – Sam just accepted his answers without trying to change his mind. Even though he might sometimes try again after a while, but in the same unobtrusive way.

Castiel followed Sam to the underground parking space – and nearly fainted when the beta stopped in front of the black, shiny Impala. Other than the day they met for the first time, Sam had always driven his Hybrid. And Castiel had not been prepared to stand in front of Dean’s car tonight.

He could not get into that car.

Dean would smell him.

Castiel would ruin everything for Sam.

(And his stupid omega-side howled out in victory.)

“What’s up, Cas?” Sam looked at him strangely as Castiel had stopped a few feet away from the car, probably looking at it like it was going to eat him.

“This is not your car.”

“I know,” Sam snorted out. “My car is getting new tyres, so I borrowed Dean’s. He’ll be in the FD for a few days, doing double shifts for a colleague.” Sam chuckled as Castiel has still not moved. “What, you don’t like it? Never tell Dean, should you ever meet him. His baby means everything to him.”

Castiel perked up at that: “More than you?”

Sam seemed to think hard before he answered with a chuckle: “Tough question. Let’s say it’s a close second.”

There it was again, the raging jealousy in Castiel’s chest. Followed by the big wave of guilt.

“You know, I don’t think it rains that hard anymore… I think I’m just gonna walk...”

Sam laughed, probably assuming Castiel had made a joke. “Come on, get in.”

And Castiel, with shaking hands and a racing heartbeat, opened the door on the passenger side. And right now, even if he had wanted to, he could not stop himself from getting into the vehicle. That scent was just too overpowering, too enticing,

Thankfully, it was a short drive. And Sam had said Dean would be on duty for a few days. Maybe Castiel’s scent would be completely gone by then. Probably. He only sat in there for less then five minutes. He was just getting paranoid.

“Could we… could we open a window?” Castiel asked as soon as Sam had started the car.

“It’s raining like mad, Cas. And Dean will kill me if the leather gets wet.”

“Oh,” Castiel breathed out.

“Are you all right, Cas? You look a bit hot.”

Castiel only nodded – and was grateful that the beta next to him would hardly be able to pick up on Castiel’s agitated scent. Or that light whiff of his slick in the air. Goodness, he had not been prepared for how overwhelming that scent would be.

As soon as Sam halted at the station, Castiel basically jumped out of the car – it was either that or forcing Sam to take him to his alpha; right this second.

That night, as Castiel lay in his bed, he promised to himself he would stay away from Sam from now on. He would find excuses why he could not meet him anymore: work, his brothers, an invented date. Because Castiel did not want to be the reason his friend got hurt.

He just hoped it would not be too late already.

(While his inner omega purred at the thought that Dean would soon now about him.)

 

>><< 

 

For three days, Castiel had not returned any of Sam’s texts. It was probably not too noticeable since it was not like they had ever had any long conversations over the phone, but maybe Sam was suspecting that something was wrong already. The beta was emphatic like that.

Three days with no contact to Sam – or in other words, three days for Castiel to turn into a nervous wreck.

He was constantly on edge. He could not guess if Dean would be able to smell him in his car. Probably not. But maybe. Though with every passing day, the probability decreased.

And Castiel could not even decide whether that would be a good thing or not. He might get his Mate, but he would also almost certainly lose a good friend. And Dean might even be disappointed in him. Sam was amazing: kind, smart, talented, funny... Castiel could not compete with that! And Dean might even resent him for hiding from him for so long. He was an omega – he should have happily fallen into his alpha’s arms. Or at the very least make his presence obvious, then maybe tease his mate into chasing him. Maybe he should have rubbed himself all over the car and then waited until Dean hunted him down. Castiel´s breathing picked up just at the thought of a little game like that.

It was Friday, early evening, the weather was warm despite the gentle rainfall, when the doorbell rang suddenly – and Castiel twitched so hard he almost dropped his book. He didn’t expect any visitors, and as a matter of fact, he had only heard the sound of his own doorbell twice before. Hesitantly, he made his way through the hall, almost fearing (hoping) that Dean had in fact tracked him down, dreading the alpha might be angry – or maybe try to claim him right there in his fury. Suddenly the exciting chase in his mind had lost its appeal.

Castiel chided himself wordlessly. Nothing he had heard about Dean hinted that the alpha would act violent towards him.

But what if it wasn’t Dean but Sam who would yell at him for ruining his life?

In the end, it was just a group of Girls Scouts, selling chocolate-chip-cookies.

Castiel bought three boxes; he could use the sugar to calm his nerves.

Then he got comfortable on his couch again, one of his favourite books in hands, but even Ms Fisher could not deflect him from thinking about Dean.

The phone rang, and for a second time that night, the book nearly fell to the floor.

Castiel could see Sam’s number on the display even from afar. He took a deep breath before he stood up. It had been four days, it was unlikely that something had happened after that much time. The phone just kept ringing, and Castiel kept staring. He knew he had vowed to himself he would stay away from Sam from now on --- but what if it was important? And not answering the phone wouldn´t help him anyway. Better he knew what was going on. Right? Maybe he would get proof that Dean had not noticed his presence – and then maybe he could sleep again.

“This is Castiel Novak,” Castiel said after he pushed the button, like he had no idea who would be on the other end of the line.

“Ahem… Hey, Cas. Hi. It’s Sam. Hello.” Castiel’s stomach dropped – Sam sounded strange. There was definitely something wrong.

“Sam? Hello. Are you… okay?” Castiel asked hesitantly.

“Me? Oh, I am good. I’d rather wanted to know…”

“Give me the phone, Sammy!”

It was a deep voice, rumbling, obviously excited – and Castiel had a fairly good idea whom it belonged to. There was a bit of a hustle on the other line, Castiel heard Sam groan and then: “Omega. Tell me where you are. Let me come to you.”

Castiel whimpered and had to bite his lips to stop the sound from breaking through, but before he could say anything, he heard another noise, then Sam again: “Stop it, Dean! You might scare him with that alpha crap.”

Suddenly, everything was quiet, then there was a low whine. Castiel instinctively knew it came from his alpha and he wanted to rush towards him, to appease him, if only he knew where his alpha was.

He heard Sam again, though he was obviously not speaking to Castiel: “You stay here and calm down while I talk to Castiel. You promised me you would not do anything stupid.”

There was a pause again, it sounded like Sam was moving, then a door being closed, and even a lock turned.

“Listen, Cas, why didn’t you say anyth…”

“I am so, so sorry, Sam. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to hurt you or…” Castiel stopped, at a loss for words.

“Hurt _me_?” Sam scoffed. “Cas, what is going on here? You smelled Dean, right? You knew he was your True Mate when you entered the car last week. That’s why you’ve been acting so strange the last couple of days, right?  I mean you had to smell him – Dean just opened the door days after you were in there for only a few minutes, and he nearly had a fit. Nearly strangled me in an attempt to find out where you are.”

Castiel felt a pleasant flutter in his stomach at the thought that his alpha had so easily picked up on his scent. Now, after four days of fretting, he was ready to admit he would have been disappointed otherwise. At the same time however, he felt that familiar weight of guilt, stronger than before.

“Yes, I … I knew the day we met that Dean is my True Mate. I am so sorry, Sam.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and Castiel frantically thought about what else he could say to make everything better. He also pondered how long it might take Dean to find him, so he could finally see his Mate’s face.

“The day we met? Look, Cas, I know you have this… aversion of alphas. But Dean is a good man. And, you know, since he is actually your _Mate_ , maybe you could… try?” Castiel gaped at the phone while Sam went on: “I mean, I could come with you, introduce you two, and maybe, with the bond… you might be interested after all?”

“What?” Castiel asked, at a loss for any more elaborate words.

“Look, no pressure. And Dean will not crowd in on you. I promise. Just… look, I love him. He’s not had it easy and he’d never thought he would meet his Mate in this lifetime. He’s pretty pessimistic about those kinds of things, thinks he doesn’t deserve it or some bullshit like that. It would break my heart if he now had the chance at happiness – and… well, he’d be crushed. He’s quite confused at the moment as it is. He´s probably even contemplating how you would be better off with some other alpha, that this is why you didn’t want to meet him. I tried to tell him that you have a hard time with alphas in general, but…

“Look, Castiel, I like you very much. And you two have the opportunity at something wonderful, something rare – and I know this might sound like I’m demanding something from you, but I just want you two to be happy. You´re a great guy, Cas, and you two would fit together perfectly. And Dean´s done so much for me, and others, he deserves a little bit of happiness in his life. And to find his Mate, just to be rejected without even trying…” Sam ended on a sigh – and Castiel lifted the phone from his ear, just to stare at it in disbelief for a second.

“So you’re not angry? You want Dean to be happy so much you’ll just give up on him so easily?” Castiel felt oddly furious – Dean deserved better than someone who would let him go without a fight. He knew how ludicrous that thought was, considering Castiel had not even met the man. Considering he had consciously _avoided_ to meet him so he could be happy with Sam. But the beta seemed infuriatingly calm at the prospect of giving Dean over to another man.

“Give him up? What are you talking about? The way I see it I’d just be gaining another brother here. I mean I’d never dreamed I’d like my brother’s spouse as much as I like you already. This is a win-win for me. Maybe together, we can even get Dean to eat some salad every now and then. And I mean, the two of us can still go out together – and Dean can make fun of the both of us for our strange hobbies.” Sam tried for a light tone, but he still sounded tense. Like Castiel’s reaction was very important to him.

Castiel’s mind, of course, had zoomed in on one word alone: “Brother? Dean is your _brother_?”

“Yes, of course, what did you think? I told you he was my brother the day we met.” There was a pause, then a nervous laugh: “Or didn’t I? I can´t really remember. Gods, Castiel, did you… did you think he was, what, my boyfriend? But I told you so many stories about how we…”

Sam suddenly started laughing, and Castiel might have felt irritated by it, if not for the whole ton of brick that had suddenly been lifted from his chest. Dean was Sam’s brother. His _brother_. Castiel let out a relieved laugh as well.

Then he heard a very muffled: “Sammy, open the door. Let me talk to him again.”

“Not now, Dean, this is getting really interesting.”

There was a low growl that had Castiel’s stomach in a flutter again – and he partly wanted to yell at Sam for denying him his alpha. But he admitted they should clear the situation first.

“You agreed to this. You said you´d let me handle this first, Dean. So go into the kitchen and drink some water or whatever.” The low rumbling sound stopped, and Sam talked into the phone again: “So, Cas, to get this straight: When you vehemently proclaimed you didn’t want to meet Dean…”

“I thought you two were in a relationship. I liked you, and I didn’t want to hurt you, especially since the two of you seemed to be so happy together.”

Sam was still overly amused by the situation. “And you never noticed how I was constantly trying to set you up with my handsome and single brother?”

Castiel thought about that for a moment, surprised. “No, I thought you were just gushing about your wonderful partner.”

“And your fear of alphas?”

“I’m not afraid of alphas!” Castiel almost yelled, then he took a deep breath and explained slowly: “You just assumed, and I didn’t correct you, because I couldn’t think of a better excuse why I wouldn’t want to meet with my best friend’s life-long boyfriend.”

“Because you didn’t want me to get hurt?”

“I already said as much!” Castiel’s voice was loud again, but honestly, he was suddenly more than a bit impatient. His Mate was single and eager to see his omega. And Castiel did not want to deny him any longer.

“Hey, just checking again. This is all really funny.”

Castiel growled – nothing about the torturous last weeks seemed funny to him.

“Okay, maybe not for you, not right now. But believe me, it will be funny to you as well – in a few years or so.”

“Sam!” Castiel yelled.

“All right, all right,” finally, Sam seemed to sober up again. “For what it’s worth, I am not teasing _you_ , but my brother, who is prowling up and down the corridor and waiting for me to persuade you to try it with an alpha despite your contempt.” Castiel whimpered at the thought that his alpha thought he had rejected him before they even met. He remembered how he had feared his alpha might not even want him in that coffee shop – but Dean´s situation now must be so much worse. “So, how do you wanna do this, Cas?”

Castiel took another deep breath, suddenly a wide smile playing on his lips.

“Where do you live?”

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had hung up the phone before Sam had the chance to say anything else than give him their address. The omega laughed – it was just a few streets away, he could easily walk. To think his alpha had been so close this whole time – and they never had met before!

In the end, Castiel was running through the streets.

He did not want to know what his neighbours thought of him, a forty-year-old man, running like an excited teenager, in slacks, dress shirt, tie and indoor slippers.

And when he reached his destination – finally! – he could already see his alpha from afar. Dean was waiting outside a small duplex, pacing up and down the porch aimlessly. He looked like it was hard work to just stay put and not run towards his Mate. Obviously, he did not want to overwhelm, or scare, Castiel with any rash movements. Maybe Sam´s assertion that Castiel was afraid of alphas was still on his mind.

Their eyes met from afar. And there it was --- the spark that had been missing before.

It was even stronger than Castiel could have imagined, nearly making him forget how to breathe. Maybe Dean´s looks had something to do with that as well, because the alpha was truly gorgeous. Oh, forget gorgeous, he was completely _hot_.  (And he wasn’t even wearing his uniform, but just a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, no shoes.) The alpha had an almost painfully perfect face with sensuous lips, beautiful eyes and a strong jaw (not to forget about those adorable freckles); and no less attractive were the strong arms, broad chest and – he was bow-legged which seemed an odd imperfection that somehow made him even more handsome. Castiel could not help but feel ugly and old in comparison. Or he would if he wasn’t so excited.

When the pair finally stood in front of each other, both men were out of breath, even Dean, who had not been running at all – and at first, they both just looked their fill.

“Hey, Castiel. I’m Dean, your Mate,” the alpha said in a deep voice that already sent shivers down Castiel’s spine.

“I know,” Castiel laughed, and then looked towards the ground in sudden uncertainty. It was so strange, he had waited all his life for this moment and now that his mate was in front of him, he only felt shy, not knowing how to go from there.

Castiel could see Dean’s hands twitch before the alpha gently put two fingers under his chin until he looked up at his alpha again. It was a brief touch, gentle. And Dean had to have the most beautiful smile while he was looking down at his Mate.

 “Can I… ah…Can I scent you?” Dean pointedly looked at Castiel’s throat, and the omega nodded enthusiastically as he tilted his head to the side already.

The tension of the last weeks – since he knew he actually, truly, really had a mate – left his body: Of course his alpha would ask, and not just take.

And then Castiel completely forgot what he was thinking about when Dean first stroked a hand gently over his neck before the alpha leaned forwards and practically buried his nose in Castiel’s neck. He let out a content rumble, and Castiel didn’t even try to supress the happy sigh as the sudden closeness allowed him to breathe in Dean´s scent even deeper.

Later, Castiel could not have said how long they had been standing on the porch. At some point, the reciprocal scenting had turned into a lose embrace, both men had their arms around each other and just basked in the other one’s scent for the moment.

It felt like coming home.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from somewhere behind them. Castiel looked up, almost unwilling to do so, and saw Sam walking by with a bag over his shoulder.

“Hey, Sammy, you going somewhere?” Dean asked, though his eyes hardly left Castiel’s face.

“Yes, definitely. I’ll crash at a hotel or something for the weekend.”

“Oh. You don’t have to leave, not because of me…” Castiel looked up at Sam with wide eyes – even though his omega purred at the prospect of being alone with Dean.

“No, I don’t _have_ to, but I would certainly _prefer_ it.” Sam waved a hand back and forth between Castiel and Dean. “Give you time to… _talk_. You both have the whole weekend off, so no need to do anything… rash?”

Castiel blushed heavily. And even Dean’s ears turned pink.

Castiel understood Sam’s reasoning. Even though he had never been the type who wanted to climb into bed with a pretty face at first sight – he could easily see himself doing something of the kind with Dean. Even though his mind screamed at him they should probably talk about some matters first.

Without giving them the opportunity to respond, Sam hugged first Dean, and then Castiel – who returned the embrace wholeheartedly, thanking the fates he could still call this man his friend. It clearly was a win-win-situation for Castiel as well.

Sam leaned back and looked down at him: “Huh. So that’s why you were always so insistent on personal space. You didn’t want Dean to be able to smell you on me.”

Dean let out a rumble that didn’t sound very pleased, and Castiel suddenly felt ashamed and embarrassed that he had delayed their meeting so long.

Sam got into the car – his own, not Dean’s Impala – and Castiel turned towards his Mate again.

“I am sorry, Dean. I didn’t want to hide from you. I just thought you and Sam…”

Castiel felt embarrassed about his assumption, because now, in hindsight, it made so much more sense that Sam had been talking about a brother and not a lover.

“Yeah, I know, Sam told me,” Dean tried to sound understanding, but it came out more incredulous.

“I smelled my mate on another man, Dean. He lived with him, and drove his car. I wanted to come clean, truly, I did,” Castiel explained, then added: “But he was so _nice_. And you two sounded happy. I didn’t want to hurt him.”

At that, Dean let out a chuckle. “Yeah, he is good with the puppy dog eyes.” The alpha took a deep breath, clearly still disappointed but willing to fight this feeling. “Forget about it.” He took Castiel’s hand but didn’t move in any direction yet. “Will you come inside?”

In the end, it was Castiel who nearly dragged Dean towards the door.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had halfway assumed they would start kissing and touching as soon as they were inside, but they just sat on the couch and looked at each other for minutes, hands still entangled. And then, after a stumbling start, the two men only talked for hours. Yes, that was all they did. It was funny – they had just met for the first time but both men already knew a great deal about each other. Obviously, Sam had been quite informative to both parties. Dean knew Castiel had just moved to Lemhar, that he had a weird infatuation with bees, and had lost his mother during his last year in college. On the other hand, Castiel now understood that Dean had not so much helped his boyfriend through college but practically raised his little brother since their mother had died while they had been just little, and their father had often left them alone for days while he was working.

Sometime, they had hesitantly started to talk about their bond – how happy they both were, and how Dean had never believed he would ever meet his Mate. His life just didn’t work that way, he said – and Castiel was surprised that there seemed to be an unhealthy dose if self-doubt in his seemingly confident alpha. With a fair share of embarrassment, they had agreed that they would not mark each other yet but wait until they´ve come to know each other better. Castiel was more than happy with that. They had all their lives ahead of them, a few days, maybe even weeks, would not hurt. It was strange – he knew he wanted to wear his alpha’s mark, but he still didn’t want to rush it. With a red head, Castiel even suggested they should wait with other physical aspects of their relationship as well – he was surprised Dean even understood what he was talking about, considering Castiel had mostly stuttered. But Dean had agreed with a blush and changed the subject by suggesting they should prepare something to eat. After all, it was already four a.m. by that time – not that any of the men had noticed until then.

As it turned out, Castiel was not as patient as he´d thought he was.

While they were together in the kitchen, making some sandwiches, they kissed for the first time. Castiel had just spread mustard on the bread when he felt Dean stepping towards him from behind, to hand him the cheese or something. Castiel then turned his head to look at him – and their lips just found each other.

It was Dean who separated them at last, urging Castiel to eat since it was already about ten hours too late for dinner already. Castiel chuckled a bit at his alpha’s caring side, but still dug into the prepared meal, suddenly hungry.

When they were done eating in amiable silence, Castiel yawned, and Dean suggested:

“You can sleep in my bed, Cas, and I’ll take the couch.”

“No,” Castiel answered firmly, suddenly wide awake again.

Dean looked almost --- disappointed. “Oh. Then I guess you can take the couch down here or Sammy’s room, and I’ll head upstairs. My… My bedroom might be too intimate. I’m sorry I…”

“No,” Castiel interrupted him, even though there was a flutter in his stomach that his alpha wanted him to sleep in his bed, the very heart of his territory, (and was disappointed when Castiel had seemed reluctant); and then he explained: “We can both sleep in your bed. I’m sure we’ll fit.”

Dean’s eyes widened, and Castiel could practically see the wheels in his mind turning. Castiel had been the one who asked to keep things slow after all, and the omega guessed his alpha was only trying to accommodate. But Castiel would be damned if he let his alpha out of his presence – he was not ready for that yet. He knew they had to part sometime, go back to their daily lives at least, but he just met Dean about twelve hours ago. After weeks of pining. His omega just wouldn’t have it. He wanted to scent and touch and be assured his alpha would not suddenly disappear.

But just as much as his alpha seemed pleased at Castiel’s request, something told the omega he was ready to argue some more. So Castiel decided to play unfairly. Before Dean could respond, Castiel leaned in on him, making sure the alpha would get a wave of his scent, and then, without another word, he slipped under the alpha’s arms and ran up the stairs, convinced the alpha would have to follow. To be honest, Castiel would have been disappointed if Dean had been able to fight the instinct to chase his Mate.

Not for the first time in the last 24 hours did Castiel think he was behaving like a teenager. But he didn’t care one bit as he had waited all his life to find his Mate. It seemed appropriate to act a little over the top on such an event.

Castiel rushed up the stairs, convinced he would not have any problems to find Dean’s bedroom by scent – but in the end, he did not get that far since Dean had caught him in the hallway of the upper floor. He pushed Castiel against the wall, both hands on either side of him as he let out a victorious growl. His alpha had obviously enjoyed the little chase. Good to know. Castiel would keep that in mind for later use. Meanwhile, he bared his throat a little to demonstrate he acknowledged the alpha had caught him fair and square.

Dean leaned further in on him until their whole bodies were practically touching while the alpha licked on Castiel’s neck and then nipped playfully into the soft skin. It did not hurt, much less did the alpha’s teeth break skin, but Castiel was surprised at the gesture – and let out a little yelp. Immediately Dean stepped back and even let his arms sink to his sides. Dean frowned down at him in worry, but Castiel looked at the alpha with a soft smile, trying to tell him without words that he had done nothing wrong.

Castiel feared that, in the end, neither his open look nor his smile convinced the alpha, but rather the sudden scent of slick in the air. Dean´s frown slowly turned into a smirk, and he licked his lips – a gesture that might or might not have evoked a whine from Castiel. Then there was an almost predatory glint in Dean’s eyes.

“You sure that you want us to sleep in the same bed, sweetheart?”

In response, Castiel pulled at Dean’s shirt until he was able to crash his lips against the alpha’s.

 

Hours later, Castiel finally fell asleep in his Mates arms, feeling sated and happy and beautiful; but he was still unmarked – they had only broken one resolution that first night.

 

>><< 

 

Two years later, Castiel sat a wooden bench on the same porch he had met his Mate for the first time, and watched Dean slowly walking up and down in the shades. The alpha had a baby carrier wrapped around his body and was crooning softly to their three-month-old son. Castiel let his eyes wander over his Mate, resting on the mark at his neck, smiling at the thought that he himself had a matching mark. It still sometimes felt almost surreal that he had found his Mate and how much he loved him since day one. Castiel closed his eyes and leaned backwards where the sun could warm his face and for a moment he thought he might fall asleep as well while Dean was still on a repeating loop of _Hey Jude_.

Castiel loved the sound of Dean singing to their child.

As the alpha suddenly stopped, Castiel opened his eyes and looked directly into Dean’s smug face. Task accomplished: Little Jack was finally asleep. Two weeks ago, the alpha had confided to Castiel that nothing boosted his ego like making his son stop crying for a few hours. (Which Castiel thought was quite funny since Dean basically saved people from dying from drug overdose or smoke poisoning on a daily basis. But making Jack fall asleep was the thing he was most proud of.) Not that Jack cried all the time. But sometimes it sure felt that way. Especially when the two men wanted nothing more than a few moments alone with each other (or in Castiel´s case: sometimes, just a few moments alone – so he could take a shower, or simply sleep). Just an hour before, when Dean had come back from work, Castiel had been completely exhausted – and Dean had announced cockily he could make Jack fall asleep in just a minute’s time. It had taken at least thirty-six minutes. Not that Castiel was counting.

Dean sat down next to Castiel and the smaller man let his head rest on the alpha´s shoulder. He felt a light flutter on his head, assuming Dean had kissed him there, and let out a gentle sigh.

Life was perfect right now.

He had a wonderful mate, a nice house and a healthy baby boy (who suddenly looked a lot cuter while he was asleep and quiet). He still loved his job and looked forward to work again once Jack was a little bit older. He even had his best friend living right next door.

Only weeks after they had met, Castiel basically moved in with the brothers, and Sam had announced it was time to look for his own place. Like fate was on their side again, the married couple next door informed them about their plan to move to a different city – and now both Winchesters were living in the duplex again, just in different halves. Castiel assumed that Sam would not live on his own much longer – Eileen, a local police officer who would sometimes engage in light banter with Dean about the superiority of their respective professions, was staying overnight more often than she wasn’t by now.

Speaking of the sasquatch – just as Castiel and Dean were enjoying a peaceful moment, a car halted in the parking lot and moments later, Sam walked up to his door.

He waved over to the couple, and yelled: “Hey, you two!”

Instead of returning the greeting, both Dean and Castiel looked down at the baby with wide eyes, afraid he had woken up. But Jack just smacked his lips adoringly – and both men let out a relieved sigh.

Sam didn’t seem to notice the inner turmoil of the couple and walked inside his half of the house. He let the front door close with a loud thud that had the attached wind chimes sing out loud – and Jack let out a sob.

Dean instantly raised from the bench and started rocking again, walking up and down, just the way Jack liked it.

“You know, if he wakes up, it’s still your turn,” Castiel grumbled.

Dean looked at him with an incredulous expression: “What? How can it be my turn again? It’s already my turn to make dinner,” he added in an afterthought.

“Yes, that too,” Castiel affirmed.

And then, just as he assumed his alpha would start to argue, Dean only smiled: “All right, sweetheart, why don’t you stay out here a little and I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

The omega closed his eyes again with a pleased hum, and turned his face to the sun, enjoying the silence as Jack had obviously decided he could sleep for a few more minutes.

“I love you, Dean,” Castiel said with meaning.

Dean kissed him on the forehead and replied, with the tiniest smirk around his lips: “I know.”

With a laugh, Castiel lied down on the bench, the scent of his happy Mate and his sleeping baby still sizzling around him.

And yes, even though they still argued occasionally about all the things any other (mostly happy) couple would quarrel about: Right now, it was a perfect life.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are highly appreciated. :-D  
> And as always: English is not my first language, so please, forgive me my mistakes.


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